Jo Lampert News

The Public Theater just kicked off the 16th annual UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL last night, January 8. This popular and highly-anticipated festival of The Public's winter season will include artists from across the U.S. and around the world, including Australia, Chile, China, Japan, Mexico, Palestine, Taiwan, and the U.K. Curated by UTR Festival Director Mark Russell, this year's UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL continues to expand to venues throughout New York City, in addition to The Public Theater's home at Astor Place.

Sundance Institute's Theatre Program will support three ambitious new works for the stage, and their four women creators, at this year's two-week Theatre Lab at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). The Lab, which runs from November 10 to November 24th, will feature the concentrated and abundant time and resources, including individual casting from a dedicated acting company and daily rehearsals, that has long been a signature of Sundance's Labs.

Red Bull Theater today announced the cast for the one-night-only, all-star benefit concert performance of the Olivier Award-winning Best Musical Return to the Forbidden Planet, a musical of Shakespearean proportions by Bob Carlton. The 2019-'20 Season kick-off event will take place Monday October 21st at the Peter Norton Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th Street)

YELLOW SOUND LABEL has announced that Jukebox Saloon Vol. 2, featuring Chicago-based vocalist Colby Beserra and New York keyboard whiz Dan Lipton, is available in digital and streaming formats starting today, Friday, September 27. Beserra and Lipton bring their strong musicality and love of a good song to the Jukebox Saloon. Inspired by the classic Tony Bennett/Bill Evans duo records, a pair of pros strips down and re-engineers their favorite songs with a sense of musical adventure. They create unique, jazzed-out interpretations of songs you know and songs they'd like you to hear. Jukebox Saloon Vol. 2 is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music and other music services.

Red Bull Theater today announced the cast for the one-night-only, all-star benefit concert performance of the Olivier Award-winning Best Musical Return to Forbidden Planet, a musical of Shakespearean proportions by Bob Carlton. The 2019-'20 Season kick-off event will take place Monday October 21st at the Peter Norton Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th Street).

The Al Hirschfeld Theatre was the place to be last night as Moulin Rouge! officially opened on Broadway. Directed by Alex Timbers (Tony Award®-nominated for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Peter and the Starcatcher) Moulin Rouge! The Musical has a book by John Logan (Tony Award® for Red), choreography by Sonya Tayeh (Lucille Lortel Award and Obie Award for Kung Fu, and Emmy winner), and music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Justin Levine (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).

We've just learned that an NYC reading is taking place this week, led by Emily Skinner as Miranda Priestly, Krystina Alabado as Andy Sachs, Helene Yorke as Emily, Mario Cantone as Nigel, Etai Benson as Nate, Jo Lampert as Lily and Nicholas Christopher as Christian. The reading also stars: Sydney Charles, Britney Coleman, Dayna Dantzler, Tyrone Davis Jr., Henry Gottfried, Molly Hager, Katie Lee Hill, Anne Hollister, Jessie Hooker-Bailey, Liana Hunt, Christopher Innvar, Blaine Krauss, and Nikka Graff Lanzarone.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center announces casting and creative teams for the summer season of new musicals and plays selected for development at the National Music Theater Conference and National Playwrights Conference.

Just last night, The Public Theater celebrated its Annual Gala, WOMEN OF THE PUBLIC, at the Delacorte Theater. Directed by Leigh Silverman, with music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, it celebrated those who shaped our past and guide our future. 

Everybooty, BAM's celebration of New York City Pride Month, returns to BAM Fisher on June 29. This all-inclusive, all-gender celebration of queer nightlife features musicians, dancers, comedians, visual artists, a dedicated piano bar, and dancing in the entire BAM Fisher building. With this event, BAM joins the city-wide commemoration of Stonewall 50.

Max Vernon returned to Joe's Pub on April 23 with 'Existential Life Crisis Lullaby', a concert, featuring special guests Andy Mientus, Michael Longoria, Jo Lampert, Fancy Feast, Sophia Ramos, Helen Park, Gianna Masi, Avery Leigh Draut, Michelle Geo and Leah Lane. Ellie Heyman directed Vernon's six-month residency and series of shows at Joe's Pub.

Clubbed Thumb held their gala earlier this week, honoring playwrights Heidi Schreck (What the Constitution Means to Me), Jaclyn Backhaus (Men on Boats), and Sarah DeLappe (The Wolves) and their feminist disruption of the American theatre.  Special guests for the evening included Tatiana Maslany, Lila Neugebauer, Grace Gummer, Pam MacKinnon and Anne Kauffman, among others.

Rhinebeck Writers Retreat is producing a reading of the new musical THE TATTOOED LADY, book by Obie-winner Erin Courtney, music and lyrics by Lucille Lortel-winner Max Vernon, and direction by Ellie Heyman. THE TATTOOED LADY was selected for Rhinebeck Writers Retreat's Triple R program, giving the writers 2 readings and a residency to do extensive development of their musical in a compressed time frame.

MAX VERNON - the songwriter described by The New Yorker as 'equal parts Bohemia and Broadway' - will conclude his first residency at Joe's Pub, Existential Life Crisis Lullaby, on Tuesday, April 23 at 7:00 PM. Following five sold out shows in the last year, he returns with special guests Michael Longoria, Frenchie Davis, Jo Lampert, Lauren Pritchard, Andy Mientus, Fancy Feast, and Sophia Ramos. The spring shows are directed by Ellie Heyman. Vernon received the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical, three Drama Desk Award nominations, a Jonathan Larson Grant and the Richard Rodgers Award for his musicals The View UpStairs and KPOP, both of which had critically-acclaimed extended Off-Broadway runs in 2017. KPOP is planning a major new production later this year, and The View UpStairs will have its UK premiere in London this summer. Following a sold-out debut at the Kennedy Center in 2017, Vernon has returned to the New York nightclub stage for an exclusive engagement of high spectacle, high fashion, and high belted F sharps.

On April 1, the celebrated Off-Broadway theater company The Civilians will host Civilian Disobedience, their annual spring benefit, which honors their Civilians of the Year: Emmy nominated, award-winning documentary filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg (Reversing Roe, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work) as well as Marion Friedman Young for her longstanding support of The Civilians and her recent work as The Civilians partners for the Michael Friedman Legacy Fund.

Pipeline Theatre Company has announced full casting for the world premiere of jazz concert-party-play hybrid Playing Hot, created by Kevin Armento (Balls) and Jaki Bradley (1969: The Second Man). Playing Hot is written by Armento and C.A. Johnson (Thirst), will be directed by Bradley, and will feature musical supervision by Marcus Miller. Playing Hot will begin previews at Theater 511 (511 West 54th Street) on April 18, 2019, and officially open on May 2, playing a limited engagement through May 12, 2019. Tickets are on sale now and are available at www.pipelinetheatre.org/tickets.

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As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Three Points of Contact, a new conceptual album featuring songs from a musical of the same title by Ryan Scott Oliver, will be released in mid-February via Spotify, Apple Music, and all streaming platforms.

John Johnson and Very Intensive Productions have just announced the release of Three Points of Contact, a new conceptual album featuring songs from a musical of the same title by Ryan Scott Oliver. The new recording will be released in mid-February via Spotify, Apple Music, and all streaming platforms.